In many applications, it is necessary for electric circuits to be electrically isolated. Such electric circuits can be electrically isolated from one another by optocouplers, for example. Optocouplers are semiconductor components which perform an electrical-optical-electrical conversion of a signal. They have at least one radiation emitter and one radiation receiver which are coupled via an optical transmission link. The transmission link can be the free space or a wave-guiding system, for example glass, plastic or an optical waveguide.